‘Skilling has become a mainstream activity’

IL&FS Education, a leading social organisation under parent company IL&FS, has emerged as a leading player in the skills mission. It conducts a diverse range of skills training activities to suit the needs of specific local environments, besides being a skills partner with the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC). RCM Reddy , MD and CEO, IL&FS Education, elaborates on his company’s activities and the evolving skills ecosystem in a telephonic interview with A Srinivas . Excerpts:

Is skilling in India adapting to emerging trends such as automation, AI?

India exists at different levels of economic development. Therefore, skills training should reflect this socio-economic diversity. There are regions where agriculture underpins the economy, and others where intermediate skills, required in sectors such as construction, hospitality, retail, apparel and driving, are crucial to job creation. Simultaneously, automation and AI are emerging as key factors in certain segments in manufacturing and services.

Our 200 centres of IL&FS provide a range of skills depending on specific geographical needs to two lakh students annually. Hence, our training progammes vary, from making wine from Kiwi fruit in Arunachal Pradesh or a fisheries programme in Odisha, to running a ‘mechatronics’ programme in partnership with Alagappa University, Tamil Nadu. We are doing an AI training programme in partnership with Google. At the middle level, we impart skills for construction, hospitality, retail, apparel, drivers and others.

How does one achieve higher placement rates?

IL&FS, run by financial institutions, is a multi-stakeholder company that has entered into a PPP with the NSDC. Our industry touch-points are high. As a result, we as a policy identify the job needs and train people accordingly, rather than the other way around.

The prerequisite for placement is real time industry connect and local job market information systems. If these two are facilitated, even the smaller concerns or NGOs, which run good quality training programmes, can achieve higher placement rates.

How would you respond to criticism that overall placement rates of the Skills Mission scheme are barely 50 per cent, according to the 2016-17 Annual Report of the skills ministry?

The statistic does not reflect the true success of the skills programme. The 49-50 per cent figure only includes absorption by the organised sector. If we were to take informal sector employment into account, the number would be at least 67 per cent. Of the 75 per cent who pass out, more than 90 per cent get an offer. And about 80 per cent of these offers are accepted. There is a serious shortage of entry-level people in sectors such as logistics and sales. In sectors such as apparel the placement rate is much higher than the average.

Would you say that the Skills India programme is a success?

The Skills India programme today has several streams, ranging from imparting skills in schools and colleges to short-term skills training for unemployed youth. All these streams are doing visibly well.

The short-term training programmes focus on job roles that do not require the extended training period of two years under the ITI system. Therefore, the programme addresses the demand-supply gap in an efficient manner. Besides, a system of quality control and standards has developed in quick time. Sector skills councils, autonomous industry-led bodies under the NSDC, set occupational standards, train the trainers, conduct skills-gap studies and assess the candidates. Every State has a skills development mission. The skills programme has become a mainstream activity within very quick time.

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